Sisi in Riyadh to congratulate Saudi royals

President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi has paid a short visit Saturday to Saudi Arabia, coming in the wake of a major reshuffle in the kingdom’s royal court.

The visit, that lasted less than 90 minutes, comes in the framework of continuous coordination and consulting between the two countries, Egypt’s ambassador to Riyadh Afify Abdel Wahab told state media.

Al-Sisi congratulated King Salman bin Abdul Aziz for the appointment of bin Nayef and bin Salman, as the two leaders discussed regional and international developments, Saudi state news agency reported.

Al-Sisi was accompanied by Foreign MinisterSameh Shoukry, Head of General Intelligence Service (GIS) Khaled Fawzy, Head of the President’s Office Abbas Kamel, and ambassador Abdel Wahab.

King Salman executed a major reshuffle in his country’s administration on Wednesday, replacing his Crown Prince, the Foreign Minister and naming his son as Deputy Crown Prince.

Bin Nayef is the former defence minister and incumbent interior minister, who is known for having strong ties with the US, where he was educated. He also has well-known ties to the security forces, and will be the first grandson of the founding king Abdul Aziz to lead the kingdom, if the current line of succession remains unchanged.